IT security news on the latest technology and the number one resource for your hardware and software needs.
Visit us at www.hyphenet.com

Friday, December 13, 2013

Are you being explotied?

Software exploits are attack techniques managed by attackers to
quietly install malware. Trojans or backdoors are fastened into
computers without requiring social engineering to trick victims into
manually running a malicious program.

Malware installation through an exploit would be invisible to users and gives attackers an obvious advantage.

Exploitation Targets

Here are some applications most targeted by attackers through exploitation:

The most dangerous exploit attack is remotely installing code into
the operating system. Downloading or running vulnerable software
increases the chance of your system becoming infected with malware.

While PDF’s are the most common document files, they can be dangerous
if obtained from an unreliable source. Adobe has extended the file
format to maximize its data exchange functionality by granting
scripting and the embedding of various objects into files. This can be
exploited by an attacker.

Another target is the Adobe Flash Player. This plug-in is used for
playback of content on various browsers. The Adobe Flash Player is
updated regularly and notifies you when it’s time to upgrade. Most
vulnerabilities are of Remote Code Execution (RCE) which indicates that
attackers use susceptibilities for remotely executing malicious code on a
victim’s computer.

Java is also a popular browser plug-in attractive to attackers. More
than three billion devices are using this platform. Java is vulnerable
to malicious attacks and is one of the most dangerous components. When
you use Java on Windows, its security settings can be changed using the
control panel applet. Latest versions of security settings allow you
to configure the environment more accurately.

Windows operating systems itself can be used by attackers to remotely
execute code. The figure below shows the number of patches the each
components have received during 2013.

This shows Internet Explorer fixed the
greatest number of vulnerabilities. More than a hundred
vulnerabilities have been fixed in the course of fourteen updates.

Windows Operating System

Newer versions of Microsoft Windows – i.e., Windows 7, 8, and 8.1
have built-in mechanisms which help protect users from destructive
actions delivered by exploits. Features became available with Windows
Vista was upgraded in the most recent operating system versions.

This shows Internet Explorer fixed the
greatest number of vulnerabilities. More than a hundred
vulnerabilities have been fixed in the course of fourteen updates.

Windows Operating System

Newer versions of Microsoft Windows – i.e., Windows 7, 8, and 8.1
have built-in mechanisms which help protect users from destructive
actions delivered by exploits. Features became available with Windows
Vista was upgraded in the most recent operating system versions.

Windows Operating System

Newer versions of Microsoft Windows – i.e., Windows 7, 8, and 8.1
have built-in mechanisms which help protect users from destructive
actions delivered by exploits. Features became available with Windows
Vista was upgraded in the most recent operating system versions.

All operating systems or programs used
are studied by attackers for vulnerabilities. Their intent is to
exploit for financial gain. Adobe, Google, and Microsoft are all taking
steps to make these attacks more difficult to achieve.

To protest yourself, change your system settings for a more secure application and keep your software up-to-date.

Don’t miss out on the latest tech news and computer security alerts! Follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet, “Like” us on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+.